AT A GLANCE
An A-grade SUV, the chunky Seltos stands out for European dynamics
According to the unofficial Laws of Motoring, SUVs don’t handle as well as cars. An SUV is heavier, taller and has a higher centre of gravity, so when you arrive at a corner at speed it needs more persuading to get into and out of said corner in one piece.
In tighter bends it often prefers to continue straight ahead into the shrubbery — a characteristic amplified by non-stick tyres often fitted as standard — or just give up, roll over and have a good lie down.
Today, though, with the massive increase in SUV numbers and niches, some manufacturers are putting in a serious effort to improve the breed’s dynamics and quite a few flout that unofficial law.
An A-grade SUV can now do a passable impersonation of a decent car when the road starts to twist and turn. Kia’s new Seltos is one of those.
VALUE
The Seltos is the same size, give or take a few centimetres, as the small SUV class sales king, Mitsubishi’s ASX.
Pricing opens at $25,990 drive-away for the Seltos S, with 110kW, naturally aspirated
2.0 litre/continuously variable transmission/ front-wheel drive.
All-wheel drives start at $36,490 drive-away for the 130kW 1.6-litre turbo/seven-speed dual clutch transmission Sport+, tested here.
That seems like a big ask for a small SUV — it’s $500 more than a much larger, mid-spec Toyota RAV4 GXL — but Kia’s drive-away deal includes about $2500-$3000 worth of taxes and other on road charges, depending upon which state you live in.
Atop the dash is a huge 10.25-inch touchscreen. There’s no stand-alone voice control, so unless you pair your phone via Apple CarPlay/Android Auto, you have to do almost everything by touch.
That’s not good, because too much eyes off the road time is involved. It’s a long reach to the screen and some icons are small and hard to hit.
You can run up to three apps or embedded functions at once on the screen. Navigation with live traffic information, 10 years of map updates and digital radio are also included.
COMFORT
Kia’s local suspension tuning can, on some models, produce a hard, unforgiving ride but the Seltos strikes the right balance between comfort and handling. It’s still firm, though compliant, quiet and well-controlled.
The driver’s seat lacks upper body support and the head restraint is intrusive if you like the backrest upright.
Back stalls feature plenty of legroom and a firm bench but has no air vents, USB or 12V sockets. The boot lacks a 12V outlet and bag hooks.
SAFETY
The Sport+ includes all the important driver assist tech, plus adaptive cruise. Lane keep assist is very sensitive, so I turned it off.
DRIVING
The Seltos Sport+ has been engineered — including the previously mentioned local suspension tuning — to drive like a premium Euro SUV, which it does pretty convincingly.
The bonus with a Kia badge is that you miss most of the aggravations of Euro SUV ownership: short three-year warranty, questionable reliability and durability and a premium unleaded thirst. It shares one downside with the Europeans — expensive servicing.
Kia’s 1.6 pulls easily and smoothly from low revs, with excellent throttle response. It never has to work hard but it spins more willingly, and tunefully, than most turbos at the top end, especially in Sport mode.
Expect 5L-6L/100km on the highway and high single figures in town, running in Eco mode on regular unleaded.
Dual-clutch transmissions, notably VW/ Audi jobs, can hesitate to engage from rest and dither in crawling traffic.
Neither problem is evident in the Kia, which shifts with speed and smoothness, apart from Sport mode, which can’t keep up with your right foot and is too conservative — paddle-shifters would be useful.
The Seltos vies with VW’s Tiguan for class handling honours. It’s tight and secure on rough roads at speed and well-balanced in corners, with reasonable grip from the Kumho tyres.
Electric power steering has a strong selfcentring effect thanks to servo-motor assistance. It feels bit weird at first — you soon get used to it — and steering feel and precision are fine.
Off the bitumen, the Seltos has greater ability than most SUVs thanks to all-wheel drive with locking centre differential (at speeds below 40km/h), hill descent control and fullsize spare on an alloy wheel.
The test car’s brakes were powerful enough but very touchy at low speeds.
HEART SAYS
Seltos? Sounds like something you buy in a chemist. I like the chunky shape, the Audi-look interior and the fact that it’s not too big.
VERDICT
This should dispel any lingering notion that Kias are just cheap transport. The best drive in the class, with premium Euro-style engineering, dynamics, ride and refinement.
KIA SELTOS SPORT+ 7.6L/100km (average)
HEAD SAYS
Full-size alloy (applause)
I want an SUV that’s enjoyable to drive but I’m not interested in being gouged by the European brands.
ALTERNATIVES
Sister brand Hyundai has the same engine and transmission in a smaller package with a different design aesthetic and, in the base Go, a much lower starting price. The top-spec Highlander is loaded at $39,500. Five-year warranty.
Updates and super sharp pricing keep this old stager at the top of the sales charts. Top-spec Exceed gets 123kW/222Nm 2.4-litre/CVT/ front-wheel drive and lots of fruit, including leather, sunroof and pumping audio.